Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2000 16:25:01 -0400 (EDT)
From: Rune Therain <mist_dark@yahoo.ca>
Subject: Nsync Saga, part 13

Let me start of by saying that Hotmail is being stupid, so if I haven't
responded to your e- mails it's not my fault.  I haven't been able to get
into my account for over a week.  Temporary problem my ass.  If you
remember what you sent me in an e-mail and want a response you could send
it again.  I wouldn't mind at all.  Yet another plea from the e- mail
junkie.  Anyway, my address has changed to Mist_dark@yahoo.ca I'll let you
know when the other account is working.  Until then please use the yahoo
account.

I'm going to start of by saying thanks to everyone who wrote me.  I love
hearing from you guys so let me know what you think of the story.  Special
thanks to Kenitra, Shade, Aeoros, Tom, Matt, Di, Aphrodite, Keif and so on
and so forth.  There are a lot of people who deserve thanks.  But
unfortunately I'm having memory lapse.  Thanks to you all.  As for good
stories check out Millennium love, BSB and Nsync Chronicles, Justin's Dark
Angle, Nsync and the Vamps, Search and Rescue, and Brian and Me.  All good
stories and worth your time to read them.

Legal part.  If you're underage in your area or it's illegal in your area
to read this, please leave.  If homosexual themes offend you, please leave
as well.  This story is in no way suppose to reflect on the members of the
musical group Nsync.  If any of them are gay, it's not my business.  Parts
of this story are based on RPG Rifts.  All trademarks belong to Kevin
Siembieda and Palladium books.

As usually please e-mail me with your comments.  Likes, dislikes etc.
They're all good.  Just remember the address is now Mist_dark@yahoo.ca

Enjoy,
Rune


PART THIRTEEN


	"Maria," snapped Lance.  "Stop this, I don't hate you.  You're my
friend."

	"But I'm not human," Maria hissed.  "She bared a pair of ivory
fangs as her eyes glowed red.  "I'm a vampire."

	"And this is suppose to effect me how?"  Lance asked casually.  "I
know what you are Maria, and frankly I don't care.  I knew you before I
found out you where a vampire, and nothing has changed.  Besides even if
you weren't my friend I would still owe you my life."

	Maria closed her mouth to cover her fangs and her eyes returned to
their normal colour.  "Why aren't you afraid of what I am?"  She asked
softly.

	"I trust you," Lance said simply.  "Selvar trusts you, and I trust
him.  Maria if you were going to have hurt me you would have done it
already.  Since you haven't I don't think you're going to start any time
soon."

	"Thank you," Maria whispered, her head bowed slightly.  "You don't
know what that means."

	"Actually I do," Lance said pulling the woman into a hug.  "I felt
exactly what you were feeling when I told the guys I was gay.  They took it
remarkably well.  But the feeling of them possibly rejecting me tore
through me every day until I told them."  He pulled back from the hug.
"It's not the same, but I think I understand the feel enough."

	Maria smiled and then pounced on Lance.  The momentum behind her
slight weight was enough to knock him to the ground.  "So everything's okay
between us?"  She asked while she pushed down on his shoulders.

	Lance laughed, "Yep."

	"Am I interrupting something?"  A gentle female voice asked.  Maria
leapt backward to land on her feet, she spun around to see who had entered
the room without her hearing.  The voice belonged to a beautiful woman
wearing a dress that revealed far more then it concealed.  She was barely
decently covered.

	"A nymph," Maria whispered as she helped Lance to his feet.  "May I
ask why a nymph has decided to bless us with her presence?  Normally a
nymph is never seen within the walls of a mortal structure."

	The sound of leaves being blown in the wind filled the room as the
nymph laughed.  "Observant," the nymph told Maria.  "I have come to request
the presence of the Lord of this Castle."

	"Not to offend," Maria said.  "But, why should my Lord answer the
summons of a nymph?"

	"He should not have to answer the summons of a forest spirit," the
nymph replied warmly.  "Save for the sake of courtesy.  However, the
summons of the Guardian of the Forest, is far more urgent."

	"The Guardian of the Forest?"  Maria asked with a touch of awe in
her voice.

	"Yes," the nymph said.  "The Guardian wishes to speak with Selvar
the necromancer and James the Diabolist.  As well as Cro the Rune book.  I
will await them in the courtyard."  The nymph turned and walked to the
door.  "Please do not take long.  What the Guardian has to see is urgent."
Not even bothering to open the door, the nymph walked through it.

	"That was weird," Lance said.  "I haven't told anyone my first
name, except you and Selvar.  I wonder how she knew it."

	"The Guardian probably told her," Maria said.  "You get Cro and go
to the courtyard.  I'll get Selvar and meet you there."  She practically
flew across the room and yanked the door open.  "Don't take too long."
Maria took of down the hallway at a dead run.



	Less then ten minutes later Selvar and Lance were following the
nymph out of the courtyard into the surrounding forest.  Lance was carrying
Cro so that they could move faster.  The nymph just walked ahead of them,
she didn't attempt to make any conversation.

	"Who is the Guardian of the Forest?"  Lance asked Selvar.

	"A spirit that protects all forests," Selvar told him.  "It knows a
great deal, though it rarely shares its information.  It strives to make
balance in the world.  All the Guardians do."

	"There are more then one?"

	"There are several.  One for each of the elements, one for death,
one for life.  And that's just a few of them.  They're all very powerful.
Though the Guardian of the Forest is the most powerful.  It controls the
others, and to a limited extent has their powers as well.  Or at least
that's what the readings I've found on the subject have said.  There isn't
a whole lot to work with."

	Lance nodded and turned his attention to the forest around him.  It
looked far different at night then it did the day he had arrived here.  A
shiver ran up his spine as he remembered how he had come to meet Selvar.

	"The Guardian awaits you in the grove," the nymph's words pulled
Lance and Selvar from their thoughts.  The entrance to the grove lay just
ahead of them.  Two oak trees sat on either side of it.  The nymph faded
into the foliage and they entered the grove.

	The inside of the grove was amazing.  The moonlight filtered down
and illuminated the entire thing, almost to the point of appearing like
day.  A small pool of water lay in the middle of the grove.  A man knelt on
the far side of the pool.  He appeared to be staring intently into the
water's depths.  He was dressed in a green robe that seemed to be made of
leaves.

	"Welcome," the man said without taking his eyes from the pool.  His
voice sounded as if it were cared on the wind.  He stood and his long
silver hair fell to his ankles.  He looked toward them.  Lance gasped.  The
man's beauty eclipsed Selvar.  There was simply no way to describe his
appearance.  Other then that even an elf couldn't hope to come close to
this man.

	Selvar bowed deeply, "Guardian," he said.  Lance followed the
gesture.  "We have come as you have requested."

	The Guardian nodded and moved around the pool.  "Time is growing
short," he said.  "I will give you all the information I can at this point
in time.  Please listen to what I have to say.  Your actions beyond that
are beyond my control."  He motioned to them to come forward.  "I will not
harm you."

	Lance and Selvar cautiously stepped forward.  Lance had no idea
what this man could do to them, but he had not intentions of trying to find
out.

	"The Guardians all strive for balance," the Guardian told them.
"We have stepped into situations to assure that balance is kept.  Life must
be countered by Death.  Too little life and death will dwindle.  Too much
life and death will flourish.  Each force must be held in balance.  I have
called you here to address this balance."  The man waved his hand toward
the pool.  "Cro," the Guardian said.  "Please watch the pool and remember
the pictures that appear within your pages."  The book left Lance's arms
and floated toward the pool.  It opened itself and hung suspended above the
pool.

	"You can do that?"  Lance asked the book telepathically.

	"Yep," Cro replied smugly.  "I've got a lot of talents.  I'll show
you this one later."

	An image appeared in the pool.  It was blurry at first, but cleared
into an image of Lance, Justin, Joey, Chris and JC.  "For reasons of their
own, the Trinity, Nydia and her brothers, brought you five to his world.
They changed things about you so that bringing you here would be easier.
In doing so they changed you in ways that can never be undone.  Your talent
for diabolism is a reflection of this," the Guardian said to Lance.
"Justin interfered with the spell at an important moment and the five of
you were spread to the winds.  Nydia and her brothers have been searching
for the five of you ever since.  They have recently discovered your
whereabouts.

	"Their motivations, however, are not my concern.  What does concern
me is another group that has taken an interest in you.  The Acolytes."
Selvar hissed quietly when he heard the name.  The image in the pool
changed to a man garbed in a red robe.  It stayed with that image for a
moment before cycling through a man in a black robe, one in a green robe, a
woman in a blue robe, one in a white robe and another in a brown robe.
"They wish to stop the Trinity.  They seek to do this by killing you and
your friends.  You are the Trinity's hope, but removing you they will
triumph.  I seek to prevent that from happening.  The carnage that would be
a result of their triumph will upset the balance.  That cannot happen.

	"Your friends are moving.  They will arrive here with in a few
weeks.  The Acolytes will not be far behind them.  You must prepare
yourself.  The Acolytes will throw all their power against you to destroy
you.  The Trinity will defend you as best they can, but their actions are
their own.  They do not seek to protect you for your benefit, but their
own."

	The Guardian moved away from the pool.  "I have nothing more to
say, save this.  Before the fall of two moons, a battle shall be waged
within this forest.  I cannot aid you directly, but allies shall come to
you.  Prepare yourself."







	"I didn't think these things could be so big," Justin said as he
and Pyre flew through a Ley line.  The blue energy crackled softly around
them.  "We've been flying for hours and we still haven't left this thing."

	Pyre laughed.  "It's the biggest one on the planet.  It covers
several thousand miles.  I wish we could avoid it, but we can't."

	"Why?"

	"All Ley lines are dangerous to some extent," Pyre told him as they
continued flying over the Atlantic Ocean.  "The lines attract all sorts of
creatures that feed of magic, as well as various practitioners of magic.
The lines can be dangerous just if those show up.  On top of that Rifts
have a tendency to show up unexpectedly along Ley lines.  Things like that.
Though most of the time they're reasonably safe."

	"Somehow that didn't put me at ease at all," Justin said with
sarcasm dripping from his voice.  "How long until we get out of this line?"

	"Probably a couple of hours at least," Pyre said.  "If we're lucky
we won't have any problems."  They flew in silence for a few more minutes
before Pyre began cursing.  "Justin start flying faster.  We have to get
out of this area.  NOW!"








	"Feeling any better?"  Chris asked sweetly.  Evelyn grasped the
railing and scowled at Chris.  She turned a slight shade of green and
vomited over the side of the boat.  When she'd emptied her stomach she
scowled at Chris again.

	"Christopher, if I had the ability to stand on my feet without
being tossed around you would be in a lot of pain right now."

	`Of course I would," Chris said as sweetly as before.  "But you
didn't answer my question.  Feeling any better?"

	"No I'm not," Evelyn said before vomiting over the side again.  "I
hate sea travel.  I don't even like traveling along the river."

	"Look on the bright side," Joey said as he joined them.  "The
captain says we'll only be on the ocean for another two weeks or so.  Give
or take a few days."

	"That doesn't help," Evelyn told him.  "Did he say how much longer
we'll be in this Ley line?  It's got my senses all on edge.  I don't like
it."

	"At least a couple of days," Joey told her.  "He says this one's
pretty big.  It'll take a while to get through it.  He said something about
storms crop up now and again.  He's hoping to avoid any of them, but he
thinks one might be on the way.  Just a feeling he said."

	"I agree with him completely," Chris said.  "I don't want to be out
here during a storm."

	"I don't think the captain is worried about normal storms," Evelyn
told him.  "Most likely worried about Ley line storms.  They're far worse."

	"What are they like?"  Joey asked.

	"Take the worst storm you can imagine and couple that with the
effects of reality falling apart.  They effect the elements causing
horrendous storms.  To complicate matters random effects start happening.
Rifts open, creatures appear, spells cast themselves.  The most dangerous
thing about them is that they just show up without any real warning
whatsoever.  They can't be predicted.  Hopefully if we do get a storm it
will just be a normal one."

	A peal of thunder split the general silence of the ocean.  The crew
suddenly started racing over the deck.

	"I think we should hold onto something," Evelyn said.









	The water swirled in small eddies around JC's and Erastus's
swimming forms.  They had been traveling for days and had been lucky to
catch the current they were following.  Erastus had stumbled across the
current a few days after they'd left for England and it had greatly reduced
their movement time.

	"What is that?"  JC asked, pointing to a wall of bright blue light
ahead of them.  The current was taking them directly into it.

	"The surface people call it a Ley line," Erastus told him.  "Sea
dwellers call it a Song line.  It shouldn't be a problem.  And we don't
have much choice.  We have to get to England as quickly as possible and
cutting through this line will cut down on our traveling time."

	"Sure," JC agreed as the current pulled them into the blue light.
He braced himself for some sort of pain, but all he felt was a slight
tingling sensation as his skin came in contact with the light.


	It took some adjusting, but JC finally got used to the odd feeling
of swimming through glowing blue water.  He kept having flash backs to all
those old movies where someone fell into glowing water and horribly
mutated.  It took him a while, but he finally pushed those thoughts from
his mind after the fifth time Erastus shot him a dirty look for laughing.

	After a few hours of swimming along the current JC's skin began to
crawl.  It was a disturbing sensation.  It actually felt like his skin was
going to crawl off his body.  "Erastus?"

	"What is it Josh?"  Erastus snapped.  He had become increasingly
annoyed over the last few hours.  The stress of manipulating the current
was getting to him.  Both of them needed sleep, badly.

	"I don't know," JC said truthfully.  "I just don't feel right.  I'm
suddenly getting the creeps."

	"Josh," Erastus sighed.  "The line isn't going to hurt you.  The
increased magical energy has this effect on people who haven't felt it
before."

	"I don't think that's it," JC said with doubt obviously present in
his voice.  He was about to continue when he and Erastus slammed into a
solid wall of ice that appeared out of nowhere.  "Where the hell did that
come from?"

	Erastus began to curse inventively.  "Ley Line Storm," he muttered.
He spun in a quick circle looking for a way around the wall.  "We're going
to have to get out of her Josh.  There's no telling what's going to happen
or how long this is going to last."

	A banshee-like cry caught JC's attention.  He spun around in time
to see a huge shark swimming toward them.  The creature's jaws were open
wide and probably could have easily swallowed a house.  The shrieking sound
was being made by the rushing water that was flowing into the creature's
gaping maw.  Shock froze him, he couldn't even think of moving.

	The shark swam forward, snapped its jaws shut around JC and
vanished before the teeth could touch him.  He was grabbed from behind and
yanked downward.  The wall of ice passed by him and he was suddenly on the
other side of the wall.

	"I'm going to change," Erastus said.  "And with any luck, we'll get
out of this alive."  His body lengthened and he changed into his whale
form.  He swam up next to JC and paused.  He started swimming again when JC
had attached himself to his back.






	"FASTER JUSTIN," Pyre shouted over the howling winds.  The storm
had appeared out of nowhere.  One moment the sky had been the regular
bluish colour of a Ley line and the next it had become a vibrant red.
Purple lightning laced the sky and hurricane force winds had appeared in a
matter of seconds.  There wasn't any rain, but it was only a matter of
time.

	"I'M TRYING," Justin shouted back.  "THE WINDS ARE TOO STRONG."

	Pyre prayed silently that they would make it through this storm
alive.  They had to find some sort or place to land.  Being on the land was
bad enough during a Ley line storm, being in the air was almost suicidal.
He scanned the ocean for anything to land on before flying to Justin's
side.

	"How long will this last?"  Justin asked.  They were close enough
that the need to shout was reduced.  But only slightly.

	"I don't know," Pyre said truthfully.  "A few minutes, to a few
hours."

	A blast of wind slammed into them.  They tumbled through the air
for a few minutes before they could regain enough control to fight the
wind.  They had been pulled apart by the blast and were about a hundred
feet apart again.

	"STAY THERE," Pyre shouted at him.  Justin nodded and stayed where
he was.  Pyre was had covered half the distance when a beam of red light
struck him from below.  He screamed in agony and dropped out of the sky.






	"The captain wants us to stay above deck," Joey said
telepathically.  "Something about some of the stuff in the cabins not being
secure."

	"Great," Evelyn muttered back.  "I guess we just hold onto
something, and stay out of these people's way."

	The wind picked up suddenly and rain started pelting the ship.  A
wave knocked the ship backward and everyone reeled trying to get their
balance back so that they wouldn't fly overboard.

	"Joseph," Evelyn said.  "Be ready to catch anyone who looks like
they're going to fall overboard."

	Joey nodded and caught two of the sailors as a wave washed over the
end of the boat.  With a small grunt of concentration he deposited the two
of them in the middle of the boat.  The men waved their thanks and ran off
to complete other tasks.

	The wind began to howl and the sky changed from a reddish hue to a
pale brown.  There was a cracking and one of the smaller masts was ripped
from its support base and sucked into the air.  Evelyn snagged the three
sailors that were attached to the ropes on the mast.

	Another wave rocked the ship.  The ship rode the wave forward for a
fair bit of time before the wave cut out.  A huge gust of wind snagged the
side of the ship and they turned completely around.  Chris grabbed Evelyn's
arm to stop her from sliding away.

	"Thank you Christopher."

	"Evelyn?"  Joey asked.  "What's that?"

	Everyone looked to where Joey was pointing.  A winged figure was
flying toward the ship.  They couldn't make out much except that the figure
was obviously a woman and appeared to be having little trouble with the
wind.  In fact she was flying though it as if there wasn't a storm at all.

	The captain made his way to the front of the boat and stood there
waiting for the woman to land.  She did so a moment later.  From where they
were Joey, Chris and Evelyn could see that the woman was of Asian decent.
She was dressed in what looked like brown leather pants, jacket and boots.
Her black hair fell between her wings to her mid-back.  She spoke with the
captain for a few minutes.  The two of them nodded before they parted.  The
captain made his way to Evelyn, Chris and Joey.

The woman stood at the very front of the ship.  She held her hands upward
and a crack of thunder split the sky.  The winds lessened and then all
together stopped.  A few moments later the rain slowed down dramatically.
The lightning still streaked the sky, but didn't come close to the ship.

"That is the Lady Selena," the captain informed them.  "She is willing to
get us through the natural section of this storm and out of the Ley line as
quickly as possible.  She, however, wishes to speak with you three in
exchange for her services."  He caught the worried look on Joey and Chris's
faces.  "Don't worry about that.  I've met her before.  She is a caring
woman.  Young, but caring."

Evelyn was about to say something when a voice shattered the silence.

"PYRE!!!"  And instant later a man hit the ship









	JC had given up trying to pay attention to what was happening
around him.  He had long ago closed his eyes and hugged Erastus's back.  He
had decided to keep his eyes shut after he had seen the fifth attack on
himself.  Since they had left the wall of ice, they'd seen a water dragon
trying to eat them.  A sea witch that had attempted to Enchant Erastus into
attacking him.  Numerous small creatures had appeared and attacked them.
Erastus could out-swim them all, but it was still a harrowing experience.

After the sea witch JC firmly pinched his eyes and refused to open them.
He began singing quietly to himself and shortly Erastus joined in.  Forming
an odd duet, but one that was calming.  They sang together for a while just
enjoying the calm that the song created despite the incredible danger that
they kept facing.

The first song faded away and they began another.  Without any cue
whatsoever they both began working magic into their song.  Erastus's speed
doubled itself and then tripled.  JC worked more feeling into the song and
was rewarded by feeling the water move around and away from him.  He clung
more tightly to Erastus, but didn't attempt to slow the increased speed.
They had to get out of this line and this storm.

Despite his better judgement JC opened his eyes a crack and looked forward.
He immediately regretted it.  Erastus was navigating a coral reef.  JC
thought it was odd that this sort of thing would form in such deep waters,
but didn't bother to think about it too much.  After all magic was a
predominant force in this world.  So it made some sense that coral would
grow so deep.

It took everything he had not to break his song and scream in terror.
Watching a wall of coral shoot up on you and then suddenly turn to your
left was horrifying.  He decided it was best if he just closed his eyes and
let Erastus continue his navigation.  He obviously knew what he was doing.


TBC

Not exactly what I wanted to accomplish.  At least not when I started, but
since this story ahs more or less taken a life of its own.  I imagine we'll
all live.  Anyway.  As stated above my address has changed to
Mist_dark@yahoo.ca .  So please e-mail me there.  Until next time.

Rune